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(No Model.) 7

J. W. RUSSELL.

SLED.

Patented Dec. 27, 1881.

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| NVE N TO R By his flttorneys, j/wvfu, 64mm w WITNESSES:

n PEYERS. moumm walking! a a UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES W. RUSSELL, OF ELLENVILLE, NEW YORK.

SLED.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 251,468, dated December 27, 1881.

Application filed September 24, 1881. (N model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES W. RUssELL. a citizen of the Unified States, residing at Ellenville, in the county of Ulster and State of New York, have invented an Improved Sled, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to boys sleds, used chiefly in coasting; and its object is to produce a strong and rigid sled of cheap and simple construction.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of my sled. Fig. 2 is an inverted plan thereof, and Fig. 3 is a front elevation. V

A is the top board or seat, and B B the runners. Each runner is bent back in front and fastened to the top of the board at a, and its rear end is bent diagonally upward and forward at b and fastened underneath the board at c, alittle forward of the rear end of the latter.

A sled constructed as thus far described is subject chiefly to three kinds of strain First, the weight of the boys body, bearing downward on the board, usually near the rear end thereof, as indicated by the arrow 1 in Fig. 1; second, the diagonally-upward strain against the runners by striking obstacles and passing over uneven ground in coasting, as indicated by the arrow 2 in Fig. 1; and, third, the tendency, from various causes, of the runners to spread apart or bend toward each other. To enable the sled to most effectually resist these strains, 1 provide it with a brace, G, which consists of a bar bent into substantially V shape, its bend being fixed at d to the under side of the board, at a point about midway of the length thereof, and its two ends, being bent to the same distance apart as the runners, are fastened one to each runner at e e, so that its two arms extend from ddiagonally forward, downward, and outward, as shown, and at substantially the angle represented. The forward and downward direction of the brace G is, as nearly as possible, in line with the percussive strain on the runners in coasting, as shown by arrow 2, so that it serves to directly resist that strain, and its stiffness is sufficient to counteract the tendency to defleet therunners toward or from each other. It also transmits to the runners a portion vof the strain due to the coasters weight, and serves as a fulcrum on which the board A may act as a lever, so that the weight pressing down, as shown by arrow 1, at its rear end may exert an upward pressure against the runner ends at a a. The diagonal portions 1) b of the runners also contribute to the stiffness of the sled.

The advantages of my brace C may be realized with runners constructed otherwise than as shown, and it is not absolutely essential that the brace be of V shape, as a brace of U shape would be nearly as efficient.

I am aware that a sled has been made in which the board is connected to the runners by three arched or semicircular frames of wood, the bases thereof resting on the runners, and the board resting on the crowns, the center frame standing in a vertical plane, the rear one inclined downwardly backward 'and the forward one downwardly forward.

The inclination of these frames is very slight, being little more than perceptible, and can have no appreciable effect in strengthening the sled against the percussive strains on the runners in coasting. In fact, they are supplemented by the four diagonal iron rods commonly used as braces in sleds. In this construction, also, the forward frame, answering nearest to my brace O, connects with the board at its extreme front edge, ipstead of back near its center, as does mine.

I claim as my invention- 1. A sled consisting of the combination of board A, runners B B, connected to said board at their ends, and the brace 0, consisting of a substantially V-shaped bar, its ends fixed to the runners at e e, its arms extending thence diagonally backward and upward at approximately the angle shown, and its bend fixed to the under side of the board at 0 about midway of the length of the board, substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of board A, runners B B, having inclined portions 1) 1), their rear ends fixed to the under side of the board, their forward ends fixed to the upper side of the board, and the brace O, fixed to the under side of the board and connecting it diagonally with the runners, substantially as set forth.

In witness whereof I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JAMES W. RUSSELL. Witnesses:

CLARK EATON, WM. D. FULLER. 

